A Tough and Durable 4-LAYER Epoxy Pool Paint

NB: This page and DIY videos ARE NOT replacing our detailed application instruction document, this is just a quick overview.

Pleasedownload the complete instructions from our downloads page section, you can login here and/or request that we e-mail it to you - click here.

We sell DIY Pool Paint packages country-wide with excellent feedback and a 99.9% success rate. In fact, the few failures reported over the years were all due to circumstances like weather interference, a clever handyman following his own methods, or instructing the the garden engineer to handle the application, etc.

Stay humble, follow our step-by-step instructions although it might feel like baby steps, you will be successful!

The success of the DIY job will depend solely on your commitment to thoroughly read and follow our detailed application instructions document. Over a period of 17 years, we have perfected our methods to minimize the chances of failure.

Why a Primer layer?

You might ask why our methods utilizing a 4-layer epoxy system is more complex than single component paints or one-layer epoxy products? Certain products are advertised that it doesn't require a primer coat.

In general, the thicker the epoxy layer, the longer the lifespan of the coating. The higher viscosity of a thick topcoat product offers less penetration capability into the substrate. A thick topcoat epoxy paint just doesn't offer deep penetration into any substrate. The better the penetration strength of the epoxy into the substrate, the less chance of delamination. Penetration and bonding strength is the main factors for a primer coat. This can only be achieved utilizing a lower viscosity and specialised epoxy concrete/cement primer. Following this, the primer should also chemically match the Topcoat layers to create a "chemically fused" bond with the thicker topcoat epoxy layers, not to suffer inter-layer de-lamination; makes sense, doesn't it?

Our epoxy system consisting of a specialised industrial primer epoxy, combined with the three topcoat layers was tested to offer up to 400Psi (Pounds per square inch) or 2.8Mpa (Nm per square millimeter) bond strenghth to marblite, concrete, cement and fibreglass surfaces -we rest our case!

Because of our tested epoxy system and methods we can offer a full product replacement guarantee, even to DIY customers, (10 year old references available, not just cheap talk) should the product de-laminates.
We have been doing swimming pool epoxies from 1998, registered under the same company name.

A Few Pointers - in Short

Remember that the epoxy pool paint is a relatively thin and hardened decorative layer, if the pool surface is brittle or the old marble plaster is de-laminating, don't use this product to keep it all together. First ensure that the underlying surface is properly repaired or if necessary, re-plaster the swimming pool and paint later.

Do a proper pre-inspection of the pool surface to identify and rectify any underlying problems beforehand. See our video on pre-inspection to eliminate possible moist penetration (reverse osmotic pressure) from outside that can compromise the penetration and bonding of the epoxy paint.

Always use an electric drill equipped with a paint mixing tip to mix the Epoxy Part-A with Part-B. Round sticks just don't seem to get job done properly.

Mix the A-component separately first (especially the Topcoat-A-part). Measure the A and B components in small quantities i.e. 4 Liters (3L A + 1L B) and thoroughly mix for at least 3 minutes.

Very important: mix the Primer-A and Primer-B components together and Topcoat-A and Topcoat-B components together.

If you mix Topcoat-A with Primer-A, or some other strange combination.... well, anything can happen. We have had angry clients who told us that our product isn't working; "The epoxy is still wet after 14 days!".

Well, this is litterally impossible, epoxy curing technology is a well-tested science. If thousands of our client's applications cured within a day, and yours didn't, be humble and call us to enquire how to remove the sticky stuff. We might be so kind to offer replacement product at cost for you. Removing that uncured sticky stuff is something we don't whish for anyone, not even our enemies.

So, you have mixed 2 or 4 liters of primer epoxy only - now start painting!
Don't go to the toilet, don't drink coffee, you might end up with a smoking bucket quickly changing into a something hard and solid ...
however, if it does happen to you, remove the hardened, molded object from the bucket. Use is as a door-stopper or a small children's chair,
at least you will be the only person with such an amazing thing!

Painting is the easy part, anyone can do it. You can test this fact; just stop next to road where the job seekers are gathering in your area and ask if anyone of them can paint a swimming pool, in a blink of an eye, you will have ten "professional" painters inside your vehicle and maybe even few on the roof!
See... anyone can paint...

Remember to keep an eye on the sky, you don't want to be interrupted in the middle of the job by a rain storm. Mixing wet epoxy with water can become messy. If in doubt, wait until the next day. Visit www.weathersa.co.za for a sometimes totally misleading weather forecast.

Another "good" weather site that can give you the forecast for different hours of the day is: http://www.wunderground.com/, (search for your area).

There are two options available to you to get the job done:

1. If you are working alone and have a relatively large swimming pool, follow our normal 4-5 day process as indicated in our application instructions and overviewed below.

2. If you can hire some help or get the wife and kids to help, you may consider the two- or three-day process.

Longer method (4-5 days)

Primer (bonding layer)

For this first day of painting you will have to get out of bed, preferably before 12H00 PM. Begin early, you will have to apply two coatings on the same day. The earlier the better, for in case some rainy weather occurs in the afternoon.

After grinding the pool surface slightly with grinders and P16 Fibre disks to obtain a clean, dry surface, (marblite pools) a primer epoxy is applied with Mohair rollers to penetrate and saturate the surface to a depth of 1mm to 2mm of the marble plaster or cement plaster substrate. Click on the DIY help video link to see how the grinding and painting is done. (Fibreglass linings need only to be sanded well by hand using 60 grit sandpaper to scourged the flowcoat layer)

You will have to regularly inspect the pool after application of the Primer and watch out for spots that were absorbed to the extend that dry spots may appear. Re-coat these spots while the epoxy is still wet.

The first layer (Primer) is left until it becomes slightly tacky, proceed with the first top-coat before the primer coat becomes hard and glossy. (In winter times this might take 2 hours due to slower reaction times of the epoxy liquids, in summer 30 min. -1 hour)

First Top-coat

This is the interesting part. Whoever is going to do this will need to walk on slippery or sticky primer. If the primer is still quite wet, you might see a view splits and other acrobatic balancing acts. Keep the video camera at hand! We've seen people pulling the painters out of the deep end with ropes bound around them. If the primer has become very sticky, watch them walk on tacky glue and losing their (sometimes laceless) shoes. I
f this happens remove the shoes at all cost, you don't want a nicely painted swimming pool with permanent ornamentals stuck to the bottom.

Unlike the applicators in the picture, you can use shoes with smooth soles to walk on the wet and sticky primer coat. Use gumboots of which the soles have been grinded smooth, or bind strong plastic bags around the bare feet. Alternatively and ultimately, we also offer Spiked Paint Shoes that can be strapped to normal shoes. Walking on 25mm spikes makes the job much easier and less slippery while applying the first topcoat on wet Primer. Remember, rather apply the first top-coat on a rather wet primer than a too dry and tacky primer.

It is important not to start too late with the topcoat. Once the primer has completely dried, proper bonding between the layers is compromised. Hardened epoxy layers must always be sanded before applying an overcoat.

The first top coat and the still sticky primer will "fuse", creating a very solid layer of epoxy.

Check for any spots that were skipped and touch up with top coat epoxy.

Leave to dry overnight.

Second Top-coat

The dried and glossy "middle coat" MUST be sanded thoroughly to remove "blushing" and to break the gloss for a better mechanical bond.

Apply a more thickly coat this time. An ideal spread-rate is +/- 12 sq.m per liter.

Start in the deep end and work your way to the shallow end and the steps. Oh, I'm sorry, I should have told you this in the beginning so you don't paint yourself into a corner in the deep end - sorry!

Remember to check for contamination around the pool on the paving and even on the inside edge of the coping stone. We have seen some "professional" painters hanging unto the edge with a hand full of epoxy while painting the walls with the other hand. Remove all contamination immediately with methylated spirits or thinners. Keep the spirits in hand while watching them paint, spirits tend to disappear when left alone and the workers may become less proficient.

Third Top-coat

By this time you should be an experienced weather man. This is your final finishing coat and you don't want it ruined by rain. Select the best of the best of the "professional" painters you might have hired. Repeat the procedures as with the second top-coat.

Enter the pool with bare feet the next day and feel for sharp edges etc. Remove by sanding any sharp edges away. Leave the epoxy to harden for three days before filling the swimming pool with water.. during colder temperatures, leave the pool to dry for up to 7 days.

Add the pool cleaner and chemicals after testing the water balance. Especially have the water tested against too low Calcium Hardness. This will corrode the paint layer and cause excessive chalking shortening the lifespan of the product if left unchecked. Calcium Hardness (also caleld Total Hardness) should be lifted to read between 300ppm and 500ppm by adding calcium flakes (available from you nearest pool shop). You will probably need 4kg-8kg depending on pool size and start readings. Download our Pool and Spa Water Treatment E-book, see page 11, 33 and 34 to calculate the required quantity Calcium Chloride that will be required for your swimming pool.

Quick Method (2 days)

This method can be followed if you are confident that you have hired real painters to help you. If your wife and kids seem confident and have rehearsed the process well the previous evening, you might consider a family effort.

Decide beforehand who will be the supervisor, who will be the mixer, who will be the roller-painters and who will be the brush painter. This process will require good timing and organizational skills.

Depending on the size of the swimming pool, two to four applicators will be required.

First day

On the first day of the project, only do the emptying and preparation as described earlier, grinding, patching and cleaning the pool. Download our full application instructions for more details.

Second day

You need to be a weather prophet to successfully complete the project on the second day. All four layers of epoxy will be applied on one day without the need for sanding between layers, as is necessary with the longer method.

You will need lots of plastic covering around the pool to protect the paving against contamination. You might also need the wider 100mm Mohair rollers, two per worker. These rollers are to be fitted onto telescopic extensions available from hardware shops or paint shops. The extensions will press-fit into the roller handles so the second, third and fourth coat can be applied from outside the swimming pool. Alternatively the swimming pool can be entered on Spiked Paint Shoes from the second coat onwards. (Available from Pool Solutions)

After following our normal application instructions in preparation and applying the primer and first top-coat while working inside the swimming pool, using the recommended 50mm Mohair rollers and brushes, you can now deviate at this point from the longer procedure to apply the third and last top-coat layers on the same day:

After application of the primer and the first top-coat as per instructions, monitor the epoxy applied for approximately 1 hour. As soon as it seems that the first applied coats are not too wet or slippery for the rollers and has become "rollable" again, apply the next top-coat using 100mm Mohair rollers fitted on extension poles if you intend applying from outside.

Mix enough product to cover the complete swimming pool. Make sure you have enough hands available to paint the whole surface in 30 minutes. If you take too long to apply the mix, the mixed product will start to set in the bucket and will lose it's bonding strength and will become too stiff to apply properly. If in doubt, rather mix smaller quantities at a time and apply in sections. The final coat must however rather be applied in one continuous application.

Use the 100mm rollers fixed to the extension poles and apply the paint while walking around the edge of the pool. Use proper sunglasses to examine the applied layer to see if any patches were skipped. Re-apply where necessary. If you are using Spiked Paint Shoes, the application can be done by entering the pool walking on spikes and on the wet undercoat.

After applying a thickly layer, let the painters start from the deep end again and "roll" the layer again with the same rollers, but not applying new paint. This will ensure that teardrops will not be forming due to the thicker damp/wet paint.

Monitor the layer again for approximately 1 hour until it becomes "paintable or rollable" again. Never let the previous layer dry and become hard and glossy. If this happens, rather leave the layer to completely dry overnight, sand it thoroughly the next day to create a good bond and proceed with the next coat. Use this time to remove any contamination and to inspect the surface for spots that were missed. Apply paint per brush along the tile edges. The painters might have to lie on the edge of the pool to do this :D. This task can also be done by one painter while the others are busy applying with the rollers.

Follow the same process for the final coat. If product is left over, repeat the process and thicken the coat a bit along the top 500mm edge of the pool sides and on the steps. Do not apply thicker than 1mm as this might cause the epoxy to dry too fast in certain spots creating surface tension that may result in cracks in the epoxy later.

Try to use all the epoxy paint.
Left-over paint can however be used to paint the bird and water features in the garden, even without primer it will suffice.

Never use epoxy paint to paint humans! Especially watch the children if they are helping; "It's just so much fun to accidentally give sissy a swipe with the roller". Water and soap might proof to be ineffective if left to dry. Leave people black or white or whatever in-between colour they might be. If epoxy ends up on bare skin, remove with spirits within the hour.

Should the weather interfere at any stage, this should have been be foreseen at least 4 hours before it rains. The epoxy will become rain resistant after 4-6 hours. Between applications of the different layers, watch the weather, if you smell rain, stop before mixing product for the next layer. Let the existing layers dry overnight until weather allows you to proceed. Sand the hardened layers by hand using p60 sandpaper to create a strong mechanical bond. Then proceed with the application of the next layer.

We take no responsibility for any mishaps, hardened product left-over, injuries, family fights or divorce action indirectly or directly related to the DIY application of our product. Contact us for a special replacement price for epoxy liquids should you need replacement product for whatever embarrassing reason. Be honest with us, we are always willing to help.

This was just an overview. Download the instruction manual for the full details.

Send us your comments and feedback. Make a slide show, send a video or photo's, anything we can publish here to encourage other DIY enthusiasts. See the reports and download links published on the right to see how other DIY enthusiast got the job done. (And the challenges they've overcome).

Get A Quote Online

Visit our online pool size calculator and quote request form. We will email you a detailed quote with all the available material and optional items we have on offer.

Conclusion: The product is very good for DIY application, when you have some technical skills. To mix always 2 l for direct use is easy to handle, to follow tediously the instructions is necessary, to be flexible with weather & helpers, and make sure that the pool is 100% dry, dry, dry. The preparation is the utmost important exercise in order to get a perfect result.
So far we enjoy the "new" pool now everyday.

Many thanks to Celene Smit for your prompt delivery of my orders and I look forward to referring many customers to you.

Thanks and regards

Praveen Dwarika
Craighall Park, JHB

Click on photo to enlarge:

My DIY project photos -

The guys really assisted me well. I could call while I was coating my pool to get assistance. Due to the remoteness of the area from the supplier I needed to do the work myself. It took me 5 days, but the job got done.